The auxiliary patrol vessel HMAS ST. GILES was commissioned. ST. GILES was built in 1919 at Ferguson Bros. Scotland. In 1922 ST. GILES was purchased by J. & A. Brown ...
On This Day
Australian Naval History on 12 January 1940
The Australian tug HEROS, (escort vessel), was commissioned into the RAN. She was re-commissioned on 12 February 1943 as a naval salvage tug. ...
Australian Naval History on 10 January 1940
The first Australian and New Zealand troop convoy of the Second World War, US 1, sailed from Sydney for the Middle East. The escort consisted of HMA Ships CANBERRA and ...
Australian Naval History on 3 January 1940
HMA Ships VENDETTA and WATERHEN departed Marseilles escorting convoy K.6 consisting of troopships ROHNA (8602grt), TAIREA (7933grt), DEVONSHIRE (11,275grt), DILWARA (11,080grt), RAJULA (8478grt) and TALAMBA (8018grt). ...
Australian Naval History on 2 January 1940
The 5 destroyers of the Scrap Iron flotilla were organised as the 19th Destroyer Division of the Mediterranean Fleet. They had arrived at Malta between the 17th and 24th of ...
Australian Naval History on 31 December 1939
CMDR S. H. K. Spurgeon, RAN, was awarded the DSO for conspicuous service in anti-submarine operations while commanding HMS ECHO, (destroyer), in the North Sea. CMDR Spurgeon was the first ...
Australian Naval History on 25 December 1939
HMAS STUART, (destroyer), was battling heavy seas off Corsica. Christmas fare was a piece of cake and a glass of beer. Christmas Day on HMAS PERTH, (cruiser), was heralded by ...
Australian Naval History on 22 December 1939
HMAS PERTH, (cruiser), attempted to tow the British merchant ship HOUSTON CITY off rocks, near Plum Point Lighthouse, Jamaica. The line parted and the tow was abandoned. The ship was ...
Australian Naval History on 21 December 1939
A cartoon in the Australian magazine, The Bulletin, depicted a cruiser with a badly crumpled stern passing the flagship, and the Admiral turning to the Flag Captain:- ‘Send for her ...
Australian Naval History on 19 December 1939
The cruiser HMAS PERTH, (CAPT H. B. Farncomb, RAN), was shadowed by the USS VINCENNES, (cruiser), while on the Yucatan Channel patrol in the West Indies. VINCENNES demanded PERTH’s identity, ...